Rumple's Midnight Encounters
by RumpelGold
Summary: RumplexYou, These are the stories I have written on Tumblr featuring users who visit Rumplestiltskin in the midst of the night.
1. Thestorieswesay

**AU:** For a while now I have been offering a Fic service on Tumblr. It's simple, you can request to be in a short ficlet-drabble featuring Rumplestiltskin. It started as a reblog challenge but proved to be so much fun that I offered to write more. If you'd like one of these stories for yourself you should visit my Tumblr (same username as here) and post a request. I am not always accepting, only when time and health permits. The reason I decided to post these stories here is purely selfish: I want to have them stored somewhere. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Rumplestiltskin or OUAT, or any of you who have offered to pose in these short fics. I do however own the continuation between these stories, because although posted as separate ficlets they often refer to one another. I find it fun to do such odd things, allow me.

* * *

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For thestorieswesay**

* * *

In the black of the night the golden man sat behind his desk and tried to put the last pieces together to complete his spell. Nay, Curse he should call it. He bared his teeth, brown and golden and unkempt, and fixated his overly large eyes on those last few ingredients. He'd almost done it; he'd almost finished the curse to end all curses. Almost.

"Excuse me?"

The imp jumped and turned. Confused snake-like eyes settled upon a five feet tall lady who had come to appear behind him and looked rather shyly around. Apparently she wasn't aware of where she was and how she'd gotten here or else she would have reacted less timidly. Rumplestiltskin could tell by the look in her eyes that she thought this all to be a dream.

"Could you pinch me?"

At this odd request the golden man rubbed the bridge of his nose and frowned at her. "Of course," he replied, ever so polite, "for a price."

THESTORIESWESAY peered at him from behind her glasses, her hand run through her bobbed brown hair as her face contorted in one of the most bizarre facial expressions Rumplestiltskin had ever seen. '_How fascinating_', he thought amused, and slowly rose from his seat. His eyes traced down her form as he circled around her, studying the way she was dressed before he finished his circle and came to stand in front of her again with a scrutinizing look upon his face.

"And this is your usual attire?"

THESTORIESWESAY gazed at him pensively before she replied. "I realize I look a bit like my granny, with the whole dress and stockings and such."

Rumplestiltskin humphed but vouched no reply. He pensively stroked his chin.  
"Well, will you pinch me or not?" THESTORIESWESAY loudly said.

"If you'll give me in return something I want." That charming smile of his made it hard to object.

"Fine, what is it."

Rumplestiltskin swirled on his feet and pensively stroked his chin. A low humming escaped him until a giggle left his lips and he pointed at the air. "I want a drawing of a dinosaur."

"Alright." THESTORIESWESAY coolly said. "But this might take a while. If you could be so kind as to give me something to drink, anything would be fine."

"I'd need something else in return for that, dearie." He was a tough one to bargain with.

"Fine, whatever you want."

"A story written down about me, but one with a happy ending." He watched her intently as she uttered some unknown words to him. He cocked his head and handed her a piece of parchment and charcoal. She pushed her glasses back in place and hastily set to work. The lines she drew were all over the parchment in front of her in an attempt to recreate a dino made of charcoal.

He studied her as she worked. Left-handed, _how quaint._

"Here you are," He said, handing her the drink he had prepared. She took a sip, then drained half the glass, but set it aside to create another line. Rumplestiltskin set himself behind his desk again and continued working on his spell. He checked to see if all the bottles were there and smiled smugly.

After a moment of toying with the bottle of despair he could hear sounds coming from his vistitor and looked up in surprise. "There, I'm done." THESTORIESWESAY said, handing him the parchment with a smile. The drink next to her side was empty.

"Ah, splendid." Rumplestiltskin replied while clapping his hands in joy as he suppressed a giggle. He took the drawing and admired it. "I'll hang it on one of these walls. It'll make the room look nice."

THESTORIESWESAY watched, not sure what to say about it.

"And the story?" She finally asked after Rumplestiltskin took ages to admire the piece of parchment pinned to the wall. She had no parchment left and thus nothing to write on.

"Ah, yes." The golden imp piped and then turned to face her. "Now that is a deal you may fulfill once you're at home again." His eyes twinkled as he led her away from the wall.

"Home?" THESTORIESWESAY asked, suddenly realizing perhaps this wasn't all a dream at all.

"Yes, dearie." His words faded and he groaned. THESTORIESWESAY had dissolved under his touch and he growled in annoyance. "I should fix that teleporter." He kicked said magical attribute with his high boot and then set himself behind his desk again. This was all Rush's fault, he had handed him that thing as a Christmas present. "Now, where was I?"

His snake-eyes studied the desk until they fell upon one of the empty flasks.

He groaned in agony.

"She drank the love potion."

Now he needed to start all over again.


	2. Thephantomissherlocked

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For**** thephantomissherlocked**

* * *

Zoom. There it was again, that same old sizzling sound that indicated a new visitor had arrived. Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes at the sound. His new machine was letting the most strangest of all people enter his estate at the most inconvenient of all times. He was just busy bottling violence in case he ever needed it for a curse or spell, and heard footsteps approach. He turned to face the lady visitor with a crooked smile.

"Hello, dearie. You must be?"

The girl looked down at him and beamed. "I'm Kat. And you're Rumplestiltskin."

The imp looked at her perplexed as she mentioned his name and scratched the back of his head. From which era had she been teleported here?

Kat let out a loud laugh at the face the golden man was giving her and held onto her belly. Just as the imp was to ask her what was so funny her laughter had stopped and she had reached over him and grabbed one of his ingredients for violence. A snake.

"Isn't he cute?" She piped, holding him and smiling brightly. "Does he have a name?"

The imp looked at her. "Well, yes, no, yes." He replied, a bit beside himself because of her enthusiasm. His fingers tapped the table impatiently. "Actually no, he was only here because he functions as an ingredient."

Kat didn't seem to hear him. "He reminds me of someone." She said, laughing again.

"Truly," Rumplestiltskin murmured, already feeling sorry for what he was about to ask, "who?"

"You!" Kat shouted in excitement, and with a loud laugh cuddled the snake to her and spun around a few times as if she was dancing with the creature at a ball. The snake, somewhat seasick of all the movement, made no attempt to bite her at all. Rumplestiltskin looked at it with a mild form of appreciation.

"Well, I'm sorry I asked." He said, voice skipping a notch before he giggled.

She heard his giggle and started to giggle too.

Her giggling made him giggle louder.

His louder giggling worked infectious and she giggled louder too.

"So, what does this do?" Kat suddenly asked, the giggling gone but a smile still plastered on her face. She reached forth again and let the snake fall onto Rumplestiltskin's lap. He grabbed it before it could slither away. By the time he looked up he saw Kat holding the vial of Violence. It was almost done. Almost.

"Do be careful with that." He said with a frown. What was it with girls wanting to ruin his potions?

"It looks like there's a flame inside." Kat remarked, eyeing the insides of the vial.

"Well, wouldn't you know it." The imp replied dryly, then reached out for her hands in order to get the vial back. But she was too swift and he saw her dart across the room, laughing.

"I wonder what it'll do." She said, shaking the vial.

"You're crazy." The golden man said, then snorted. He watched her as she visited each corner of the room and waited for the right opportunity to grab the vial back from her hands. But unfortunately, when that perfect moment presented itself, the snake had escaped his hands and had slithered down his pants, swirling across his leg, and made him stumble to the floor. As he fell, face-first with hands outstretched, he could hear Kat laughing.

"You should just call him David Bowie," She said amused, "The snake."

Rumplestiltskin protested as he tried to heave himself up on his elbows. "I will not give this snake a name. It's supposed to be dead and in that vial."

Kat shrugged. "I happen to like reptiles. I think it's sad you want to use this snake for, well, whatever it is you're making."

The imp growled through gritted teeth. "It's none of your concern." Kat hopped away from his grabbing hands and into another corner.

The golden man muttered. "Now hand me back my Violence, please."

"I like snakes," Kat stared at the vial, fascinated. "And I also like flames…" she muttered, dropping the bottle purposely to see the flame escape the vial and grow bigger. Rumplestiltskin shrieked. "What have you done?"

But as Kat watched the flames grow bigger and smiled content, being a bit of a pyro, until she started to dissolve, leaving Rumplestiltskin to extinguish the fire. Once he succeeded he grabbed a new vial and sighed. His potion of violence had been completely destroyed.

Rumplestiltskin sat down and stared at the snake. Names were quite powerful. Perhaps his snake would be an even better ingredient if it had had a name. He muttered,

"Alright, here we go again, David Bowie."


	3. Randomlyobsessed

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For randomly-obsessed**

* * *

Plop.

_Dread that cursed thing_, Rumplestiltskin thought as he heard the soft sound from the adjacent room. The buzzing, sizzling sound of the teleport sounded rather dull from where he was seated but he knew nevertheless that a new visitor had arrived in his home. His castle was started to look like a bloody tourist attraction.

With gritted teeth he let his hand run past the yarn, creating a golden thread as he went along with his activities. The wheel in front of him turned. "Forget," He murmured, "forget."

But his task was getting increasingly harder as two warm arms were wrapped around his neck and he found himself embraced, pulled into a tight hug, and had to stop in the midst of the Worsted Technique, groaning as the yarn slipped out of his fingers.

He was not accustomed to hugs.

Blonde hairs traced his golden face and tickled his wrinkle, and he let out an instinctual giggle at this. Gosh, that tickled. The girl withdrew and smiled at him.

But all he could do was giggle away nervously. She had interrupted him during one of his most important activities whether it was day, or as now, night: Spinning gold.

"So you are real." The girl said, smiling brightly at him.

Rumplestiltskin frowned at her before his smile returned to accompany hers.

"It seems I am. The question now remains: Are you?"

The girl frowned but didn't answer.

"What's your name, dearie?"

She smiled at this and answered happily. "Amanda."

Rumplestiltskin leaned back on his stool and observed her. "Well," He said with that ever so famous crooked smirk of his, "Amanda, came here for a deal?"

Amanda pursed her lips. To be quite frank she hadn't come here by herself, she had been transported her and wasn't quite sure how to react.

"Not really," She confessed, eyeing him up and down. "I'd expected to only ever see you for real when a man in a leather jacket would pick me up in his blue telephone box. But I wouldn't mind making a deal with you."

"Wouldn't you, now?" Rumplestiltskin excitedly replied.

"No, I wouldn't mind. I know how everyone who makes a deal with you ends up worse in the end of it. But to be honest I'm very intrigued by you and wouldn't mind making a small deal."

The golden creature smiled wide at her, the yarn at his side forgotten.

"Excellent." He pressed his fingertips together. "Now, what can I do for you? There must be something you want? How about a drink? Nothing comes for free here, dearie. You've had a long travel behind you. How about use of my facilities; bathroom, bedchamber to rest, the garden is also a lovely place at night-"

She cut him short in his rambling by taking hold of his hand. The action silenced him almost instantly and she smiled at him.

"There's only one thing I want of you."

Moving closer, Amanda brought her face inches away from his and watched as his eyes widened and lips parted. Their faces were so close now that they could feel the heat of each other's skin and smell each other's breath. Then, Amanda dipped her head forth and whispered.

"I want to have an ice cream cone."

The imp frowned at her as she leaned away. Her request had completely taken him by surprise.

"Well, I can arrange that." He said, sounding confused and having no idea what an ice cream cone exactly was supposed to be. His eyes travelled down to find she was still holding his hand.

"And your price?" Amanda said.

The golden man hummed in thought. "Another hug." He finally said, making her beam.

She instantly threw her arms around the golden imp and hugged him in a friendly manner, leaning her weight into him until she could feel his hands on her back, awkwardly and with a lack of confidence. She tightened the hug now to feel him mirror her actions, and as soon as the hug had commenced as soon as it had ended. She pulled away and tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ears. The imp stared at the floor in a pout.

That hug had been rather nice.

"Here you are." He said, handing her the ice cream cone. He studied the object, having never seen such an alien artifact before.

"Great," She chirped as she took the cone from his hands and instantly took a bite of the ice cream. While she did so she started to dissolve. Rumplestiltskin watched her as she faded and let out a sigh before turning back to his spinning wheel.

With gritted teeth he let his hand run past the yarn, creating a golden thread as he went along with his activities. The wheel in front of him turned. "Forget," He grunted as a command to himself.

"Forget."


	4. Sidhdennison

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For sidhdennison**

* * *

Rumplestiltskin was seated behind his desk to work on his curse when he was distracted by a whoosh of wind grazing his skin. He glanced somewhat irritated at his arm, as if the wind would still be visible, when he caught side of a note that had slipped on the floor. With a deep frown on his face the man bent forth to pick it up and read the letters one by one, carefully taking in this mysterious message.

_"under the cut is nudity but no dicks, me being terrible sappy jerk, and lazy "art" with too many panels"_

Slightly disturbed by the rather odd message, he threw the note aside and continued working on his spell. That is, until another gush of wind passed by and with a second stern look he found a new note lying at his feet. Once again he took it off the floor and looked at it, eyes tracing the lines in silence.

_The image depicted him in a rather intimate pose._

Getting more and more disturbed, the golden man lifted himself reluctantly from his seat and sauntered to the teleport that was standing in a corner of the room. He stood by its side with his arm leaning against the machine and waited patiently. There it was again; another trace of air blowing as the teleport activated and with only a small amount of its power sent another item through. This time as Rumplestiltskin picked it up and studied it he snickered and started to giggle loudly.

_"for those of you who are wondering what we're freaking out about_  
_this is one of the first pictures i drew of rumples"_

With a swift movement of the arm he hauled down the lever and the teleport functioned fully, buzzing and sizzling until in it a short, thin and dark sort-of Mohawk looking boy appeared who looked dazzled in front of him and was clutching a computer. Rumplestiltskin grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him out of the teleport area.

"So, tell me, lad," he started in his rasping Scottish accent, "Who are you and why are you so bloody brilliant?"

The boy blinked at him, placing the computer aside, hesitated. "Um," he started, evidently lacking confidence and words, "um, I go by Santiago." He mumbled, eyes sliding to the computer on the ground.

"You must be gifted to draw a man you've never seen." Rumplestiltskin said grinning.

"I am?" Santiago replied doubtingly. "Thanks man."

The imp laughed. "I like you." He said, sitting down on his very own desk, one leg over the other, as he studied the boy. "Perhaps not your neon colored clothes, but the black and the glitter certainly make up for it."

Santiago threw his hands up in the air and let out an exaggerated cry. "You don't like the way I dress?" he mewled.

"There, there," Rumplestiltskin replied hastily, shocked by the dramatic response of his guest. "I said I like your glitter. I did not mean," he hesitated, "Well, I like your glitter. A glitter makes a man sexy, don't you agree?" He ran a hand through his own wild curls and eyed the boy.

"Not everyone can be like you. Not everyone can be fabulosa." Santiago mocked, slightly calming down.

"True, dearie." Rumplestiltskin said.

"Why, um, did you bring me here?" Santiago tried, and the imp visibly sighed.

"I received your notes and thought it'd be nice to meet you."

"My notes? I never wrote notes? Drawings, yes, but no notes. Like, drawings of you and of, like, well, you with little on you."

Rumplestiltskin raised a brow. "You draw Rumple-porn?" he asked, watching the boy flush.

With his hands waving through the air Santiago shouted an excuse, "I thought you'd never find out. You or your actor, or Gold. Or are you Gold already a bit? Um…"

The imp leaned back on the desk. "And what does this have to mean?" Rumplestiltskin said as he held up another note. "I've been getting them for months. Here, listen: IF YOU ARE ROBERT CARLYLE, please click here. Who is Robert Carlyle?"

Seeing Rumplestiltskin's frown Santiago had to laugh. "Oh, that's seriously not cool, man. Robert's your actor, y'know. But I get what's going on. You've been receiving parts and pieces of my blog."

The imp's eye twitched. "Your," he hesitated, "blog."

"Yeah, as in, my online 'notes', y'know. Um, a place where I upload my drawings and stuff." Santiago tried to explain it but seeing the puzzled look on Rumple's face he knew he wasn't getting very far. "Okay, here," He pointed at the computer he'd been carrying when he had been teleported to fairy tale land. "This thing is a computer. If you've got electricity you can go onto the internet and leave things there like texts and like um, drawings, y'know."

Rumplestiltskin came closer and leaned over the boy, inching closer and closer until both were mere inches apart. Santiago looked up expectantly as the golden imp revealed another piece of paper. "Interesting. I would like to keep this 'computer'," he said.

Santiago nodded. "But for a price," the boy replied.

"Naturally," the imp replied, trapping the boy against the nearest wall. "I anticipated you would want something in return. So I have an offer to make. Your 'computer' in exchange for this."

He showed him the note, actually another of Santiago's drawings, and watched the boy flush. "Like what you see?"

But Santiago could only squeal. "Fabulosa." He finally whispered as he calmed down, and watched how the imp's grin grew. "I've got a few more ideas for you to draw." The golden man whispered in his ear.

But Rumplestiltskin was left grabbing air and groaned as his guest had faded. "Time has been limited." He muttered, annoyed by the way his interesting meeting had ended. The drawings he pinned to the wall, next to the one of a dinosaur. A computer gave the possibility to 'blog' which the imp found a very interesting concept. Perhaps if he could go 'online' he could see more of Santiago's work. His snake-like eyes fell upon the computer which had been left behind.

"Can't hurt to give it a try."


	5. Arielmh

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For ****arielmh**

* * *

**** "Ariel?" The imp called again. This time it did work and with a splash of water a girl appeared, only not the one he had hoped for. With a frown he knelt down to help the young female up. Her hair wasn't red but brown and instead of a tale she was wearing black sneakers. She rubbed the water out of her eyes and smiled shyly.

The golden man chiseled his jaw as he gave her a perplexed stare. This wasn't the little mermaid he had hoped for. "Then who are you?" He found himself asking.

"Ariel." The girl replied timidly.

"You're not Ariel." The gold-skinned imp retorted, knowing fully how the girl he had tried to teleport into his home was supposed to look like. _Damn that Rush_, that teleport he had given him was well_ faulty. _

"I am." Ariel persisted.

Rumplestiltskin clicked his tongue. "Not the one I was asking for."

She glanced shyly at her feet. The imp let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, then, Ariel. How about a deal?"

The girl looked at him with huge eyes before shaking her head. "I know how this works," she whispered, "I know how you make deals with people. You always want things in return." With her eyes cast to the floor she silently stood dripping at his side. He eyed her as she slowly started to dry. Well, at least the teleport had send an agreeable amount of water to refill his swimming pool. He owned a rather large estate after all.

"You even bargain for names, Mr Rumplestiltskin." The girl said. This made Rumplestiltskin fume. How could it be that every guest he received seemed to know all about his methods? Not to mention also his name?

"You already know my name." Ariel continued shyly, "Shouldn't I get something in turn?"

"You know the importance of names then?" Rumplestiltskin said, voice hoarse, "Right, but you already gave yours for free, so there's nothing I need to give you in return."

"That's not fair."

"That's how it works."

"In return I'll give you this nice hair bow." With a magical gesture of his hand a hair bow appeared in his palm and Ariel's eyes lit up. Rumplestiltskin's lips moved in a silent '_isn't it pretty_'?

"I think I can make another more serious deal," Ariel said as her fingers grasped the hair bow, raking past his golden skin in the process. His eyes twinkled with mischief at her words as he looked at her with an eager expectation. "There's something small I want, just a few words from you, that's all. "

The imp nodded his head greedily. "Yes, Yes, that's fine." He agreed, happy to hear her yield to his commerce charms. "And my price will be this: I want to know the name of the ones spreading my name and popularity in your world."

She clicked her tongue. "Why, I guess you must be referring to ABC."

The imp twitched. "What does Jackson five's got to do with this?"

"Not that ABC."

"What, the alphabet?"

"No," Ariel looked at him in silence.

When he saw she wouldn't say more he let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright. You paid the price."

"Thank you," She said with a small smile. The expression was enough to make him smile in return.

"You're welcome."

Hold it right there Rumple, whatever are you thinking? Rumplestiltskin's mind screamed at him. Did he just say 'you're welcome' while he handed her his part of the deal? Whatever had caused it?

With a deep frown he turned to study her and realized he knew what had caused him to thank her. It was her kindness.

"Ack, I just remembered my birthday is less than a week away. Maybe you could repay this bit of knowledge by, you know, telling me 'happy birthday'?"

Ariel shyly glanced at him and Rumplestiltskin could do no more than smile brightly back at her. He parted his lips but she had already started to dissolve and faded away from his world.

"Happy Birthday" he whispered, knowing it was too early and hoping she could still hear. With another sigh the imp sat behind his desk and quickly scribbled on a piece of vellum. With long elegant steps he made his way back to the teleport and pulled the lever, throwing the vellum in it as it functioned and sending his actor a. The threat was clear; "When it's her birthday you better congratulate her."


	6. Godessoffireandshadow

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For ****godessoffireandshadow**

* * *

**** The birds of air took to their repose in the hollows of the trees that surrounded the large estate. The skirts of the clouds tinged with red by the slanting beams of the setting sun, and with a shade of yellow hue upon them, decorated the western hills with vests of yellow garb. The rain picked up, tapping against the earth and stones like impatient fingertips. It was in this setting that Rumplestiltskin found himself heading for his chamber of magic, the room in which he would work on his curse.

Another night had come and like the nights before the teleport in the corner of the room started to sizzle. He didn't need to look at it to know someone was coming through; another uninvited guest he would show his hospitality to. He was right, for a girl, Christine, appeared and stepped over to him while dusting her dress. She glanced at the teleport and gave it a skeptical look, eyebrow raised, before humming and turning back to the golden imp who was seated behind a large wooden desk.

"Excuse me," Christine muttered, tapping his shoulder with care. "Did you bring me here?"

Rumplestiltskin turned to her and showed his teeth in a smile. "No, I did not, dearie. But now that you're here, please, have a seat and enjoy your time. If the former visits are anything to go by you should have some minutes left before returning home."

Her eyes softened at this. "We have only minutes?" She had sat down and now bobbed her leg up and down, catching his attention. Rumplestiltskin watched her nervous little movement. Despite her calm words she was obviously an energetic person and quite unable to sit still. Hyper, perhaps? The imp mused silently. He had the most interesting of guests as of late.

"Too bad." The girl said, eyeing Rumplestiltskin's hands as he was bottling a few ingredients. She would have wanted to spend more time with him than the minutes granted. The man turned to her with a broad smile.

"What's your name dearie?" he asked, snake-eyes twinkling.

Christine laughed at this and pointed at him. "I feel a deal coming up. Names are equivalent to power." She cleverly remarked. Rumplestiltskin shrugged and clapped a hand against his own knee.

"Fine, what do you want in return."

"Something to make me sleep." Christine said, eyeing him pensively. She found it hard to sit still and got up from the chair to walk to the nearest wall and study the drawings that were attached to it. A dinosaur, three man who looked awkwardly alike, a drawing of Rumplestiltskin singing.

"A drug?" the imp replied.

"No, just something to make me sleep." Christine said, "Not that I need sleep, I hardly ever do."

"Ah, an insomniac. I've had quite a few of those. No worries, dearie, I've got just what you want." He revealed a bottle with a potion. "Take this and you'll have a good night's sleep."

Christine walked back over to him and studied the object he held within his hands.

"Any side effects?" She said, eyes gleaming.

Rumplestiltskin frowned. "Well, perhaps some slight side-effects such as erm," He cleared his throat, "dreams."

Christine narrowed her eyes. "What kind of dreams?"

The imp cleared his throat again and his cheeks seemed to turn a little shade of red. "Well, about whoever gave the bottle to you."

Now it was Christine's turn crimson. "Ah, that'd be you, right?"

"Well," the man started as he swirled his hands about uncontrollably. "Yes," he complied, "that'd sorta be it."

Christine's smile increased. "I think you've got yourself a deal." She took the potion from him and just in time for her hand started to fade already. She yelped and Rumplestiltskin quickly took hold of her upper arm. "_Don't forget dreams are only memories of another life_."

And with a wink _she was gone._

That's when he came to realize she'd never told him her name.

"Well," he said with a shrug, "No matter. I'll find out when she dreams of me _tonight_."


	7. Metaphoricaldreams

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For ****metaphorical-dreams**

* * *

**** Outside the house the sky was dark and inside the rooms were only dimly lit by candles as the golden man who owned the 'rather large estate' was seated behind his desk again. This time he was working on a spell for obedience when he was interrupted by a female voice and turned to find a girl there with curly blonde hair and green eyes. She moved her hands around as she talked.

"Rumple?"

The imp's eye twitched. This could be none other than his latest guest by the teleport.

The fact part of his name was mentioned meant the female to which the voice belonged could be no other than another of his nightly guests. He was starting to lose track of the many times someone had been using his name in the past few weeks and concluded it had been too many.

"Who are you?"

"Meaghen." She replied as she moved her hands about.

"Alright, Meg." The imp said, clapping a hand to his tight. "Here's the deal, you sit down and be a dear."

Meg stared at him and was chewing her lower lip. She remained like this for a good thirty seconds before the golden imp glared at her and growled. "Well?" He was quite impatient.

"Well, what will be in it for me?" She finally asked, making Rumplestiltskin grin from ear to ear.

"Oh, a tough one to bargain with, eh? Well, do sit down, dearie, and let me continue my work. And as a reward you'll get erm," His large eyes darted past her from one end of the room to the other before finally coming to rest upon the oddities he held on one of the bookcases nearby. "you'll get a nice book to read."

Meg ran a hand through her curly hair. It was so very curly that Rumplestiltskin couldn't help look at it and wonder how she got it like this. Perhaps he had to rethink his business arrangements and ask her for her hair secret instead. With a finger pressed against his lips and unaware of his pensive stance he sat in front of her until she spoke up again and snapped him out of his thoughts.  
"What kind of book did you have in mind?"

He cocked his head at her. "Well, Meg, I suppose I could offer you one about fairy tales? How about this one?" He walked over to the bookcase and revealed a thick book with a brown cover.

Meg frowned at it. "Don't you need that one later on?" She asked, seeing how the cover read "Once Upon A Time" in gilded letters.

Rumplestiltskin visibly flinched. "Well, then you don't keep it dearie." He handed the book to her and sat down again, leather pants crackling with the movement, before bending over his potion-to-be.

Meg flipped open the book and bit her lip as she thoughtfully read the first line of the first page. "Isn't this just," She said, placing the book aside and moving her hands as she talked. Rumplestiltskin seemed to be disturbed and looked up at her, interrupted in his work. "Isn't this just to keep me from distracting you?" Meg said.

The imp frowned at her and pursed his lips.

"You can just admit if it is so." Meg said, leaning a bit closer to him. "There's no shame in that." Finally a small shy smile touched her lips and Rumplestiltskin could not help but to smile as well when he saw this.

"Alright," He admitted reservedly. "It's just that I wanted for you to be quiet and reading is often done in silence."

"So it wasn't really a deal, was it?" Meg eyed him.

Rumplestiltskin let out a strangled giggle. "No. But it was a big deal to me."

Meg's small smile started to dissolve until nothing of her was left and Rumplestiltskin let out a small sigh. Another of his wonderful guests had gone. He picked up the book and frowned at it.

"Why on earth would I need this later?" he muttered to himself before placing it back on the shelf. "_It's just a book of silly fairy tales."_


	8. Calonari

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For calonari **

* * *

**** Long, sure strides carried the golden man behind his desk and he sat in the upholstered chair. His legs crossed, leather pants crackling, and his fingers started tapping atop his desk. He was now leaning over the parchment and vellums that were forming a pile on top of his desk and studied them with vague interest. His lips moved rapidly but in silence as he read line after line of agreements and past contracts, reminiscing deals he had benefited from.

It was in this manner that Carol met him, and she smiled as she leant against the doorway of his chamber. She cleared her throat, " Excuse me," She said, catching his attention and making him jerk in surprise. He gave a little jolted cry before his rather large grey eyes found her and traced her form. She smiled at him and took a step forth, almost tripping and thus to keep her balance stumbling into his room. She managed though and conquered the difficulties of her balance, ending up straight in front of him with a smile of victory plastered on her face.

"Is this your place, Rumple?"

The imp's mouth twitched into a smile. "Rumple, now, dearie? Familiarizing yourself already with me." He silently wondered how he could have missed the entrance of his latest guest. He should have heard her coming.

"A little clumsy." He remarked, pointing at her feet and smirking.

Carol turned slightly red. "Ah yes," She said and opened her mouth to say more, but then she frowned and walked straight past the golden creature to study the drawings on one of his walls. With her hands clasped behind her back she stood there in silence, a dreamy look upon her face, and Rumplestiltskin took his time to study her. Red hair and, as he had noted upon her entering the room, blue eyes.

"Is this another dream?" She finally said, voice a dreamy whisper.

Rumplestiltskin raised a brow and leaned his elbow on the edge of his chair. "Does it feel real?"

Carol let out a small laugh. "I don't know. Would it be real if it felt real? Dreams can feel real too."

The imp smirked toothily at her. "You're right about that, Carol." He said.

The girl turned to him with a smile. "You know my name." She said, pointing a finger at him, "So this must be a dream."

The golden man leaned back in his chair and looked at her through half-lidded eyes. "Perhaps," He hummed, "Or perhaps your journal gave it away."

"My journal?" The girl asked, looking confused and edging closer to him.

"Yes," Rumplestiltskin showed her a folio and pointed with his fingers at a few written lines. "Here it says."

She narrowed her eyes and tried to read it. "But that's one of my dreams." Carol concluded with a frown. She placed her hands on her hips.

"Is it now?" Rumplestiltskin teased her. "I'd figured so. These pages kept blowing through my teleport, along with some rather odd fanmail if I dare say so. I could guess it was from you because you seem like a dreamer."

Carol interrupted him with a gesture of the hands. "Yes, I am. Addicted to daydreaming even."

The imp nodded. "And this is part of the dream journal you're keeping. Very interesting," His eyes started to gleam as he dangled the piece of text in front of her. "Would you want it back?" He felt a possible deal coming.

"No," Carol said, shaking her head determined. "You can keep that part. It's innocent."

"Innocent?" The imp said, scooting to the edge of his seat and licking his lips. "Do you have had odd, disturbing or rather exciting dreams about me, ever?"

The girl turned a bright red which made Rumplestiltskin laugh.

"Come on, Carol. You tell me the truth and I'll give you a nice dream for the night. How does that sound?"

"Like a terrible deal." Carol laughed. "No, we'd better not do that. Dreams are rather private."

"Yet you write them down." Rumplestiltskin moped, looking back at the text in his hand. "Here, "Last night I dreamed about having a _big cup of hot cocoa_ and dipping every piece of fruit into _a big fountain of chocolate_-"

"Hey, hey, you're making that part up." Carol said, wondering silently about his intentions.

"Alright," the man yielded. "So no deal?"

"I'll tell you what, we can make us a deal. You'll give me the nicest dream of chocolate you have and in turn you will get a chocolate ice cream cone." She smiled mysteriously at him, her eyes still having that dreamy hue to them, and waited for his reply.

Rumplestiltskin's eyes lit up again. "That sounds pleasing." He had no idea what an ice cream cone was but it sounded well good. "We have a deal!"

His fingers fumbled for the nearest bottle of dreams and he quickly shook it to mix it with a few new and chocolaty ingredients. "There," He said as he handed it to you, "Take it home and open it before you go to bed."

"Thank you," Carol said, smiling as she started to fade with the bottle in her hand. Rumplestiltskin reached out for her but groaned in agony. She had gone.

"Now I'll never get my chocolate ice cream cone." The imp mumbled sadly as he hugged himself. He disliked it when people didn't keep to their end of the bargain.

-+-

A few centuries later in Storybrooke Emma stood in queue for some ice cream cones along with Henry by her side. "Which flavor would you like, kid?" Henry looked up at her and pointed at the flavors desired. When Emma was to choose which cone to take back to jail for Mr Gold she opted to go for something plain like vanilla or strawberry when she suddenly changed her mind. _"And one with chocolate, please."_


	9. Beautylily

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For beautylily**

* * *

With his curiosity sparked Rumplestiltskin walked over to the teleport, which stood in a corner of his dungeon room, and pulled the lever. With sparks and buzzing sounds the instrument started to work and in a flash of light another visitor appeared.

Rumplestiltskin looked down at his wrist and pursed his lips. "Hello, dearie," He said, not looking up as the female stepped away from the teleport, "who might you be?"

"Erin," She said, "Blonde hair, gray eyes, shortish." She wiggled her hand and Rumplestiltskin's eyes darted up to study her. His eyebrows knitted as he admired her head to toe and then started to smile brightly.

"Yes, indeed." He said. "You do look a bit like your description."

Erin let out a soft giggle. "Well, aren't you fun." She said with a smile. "You must be Rumplestiltskin. In fact, you can't be anyone else but him. I'd recognize you anywhere." She said in a southern accent. Her words sounded sort of twangy, like there should be a banjo playing behind her.

"What's that accent?" Rumplestiltskin asked in his Scottish voice, not quite able to place it.

"What's that accent?" She retorted teasingly, then smiled as she saw he had to smile about it too. She had him there.

She flushed. "Er, never mind."

The imp smiled toothily at her. "Well, Erin, Now that we're acquainted," He paused and patted the lever of the teleport with his right hand while looking affectionately at it before turning his gaze to her. "I was just trying out this new teleport and it seems to have brought you here, Nya-ah."

Erin cocked her head at his strangled high-pitched laugh and could swear she'd seen him blush.

Rumplestiltskin couldn't help his eccentric outbursts and his giggles were part of something he could not suppress. With flushed cheeks he quickly brushed past her whilst waving a hand about. "Care to have a look around?"

Erin's eye followed his back as he walked away from her and for a moment she silently pondered whether or not to ask him about the tight leather pants he always seemed to be wearing. But wouldn't that be odd?

"If you wouldn't mind I'd rather stick with you. You've always been my," here she paused and shocked realized what she was about to say.

Rumplestiltskin turned to face her and saw her wide eyes upon him. "I've always been your what?" He carefully asked, pronouncing every letter clearly and huskily.

"My favourite fairy tale character." Erin finished, now looking down shyly at her hands.

The golden imp in front of her felt his chest swell with pride at her words and studied her as she glanced down. He ran a hand through his brown curls and clicked his tongue. "Alas, one so innocent already corrupted in her youth."

Erin looked up at him with a frown. "Corrupted?"

Rumplestiltskin stared intently at her, arms now folded in front of his chest and face hardening. "I'm hardly the kind of man you should adore, dearie."

The girl let out a small laugh. "Still, I can't help it. I've been on the internet looking for you,"

Rumplestiltskin smiled. "Ah yes, the internet," He glanced at the computer on the corner of his desk and cleared his throat. He finally knew what it meant now.

Erin continued " and things about you. I even found several men imitating you and I role played with them."

The man's eye twitched. "You what? I have imposters?"

Erin just shrugged.

"Well, just be careful what you do, dearie." He told her, eyes wide as he watched her. "There is only one real me, and that's me."

"Care to prove it?" Erin mumbled. The golden imp blinked at her as he processed her words. Had he heard them correctly? Was she offering him a challenge?

With a bright smile he came closer to her. "Oh yes," he whispered, "I'm not afraid to prove it to you, little _beauty lily_."

Erin gasped at the use of her nickname and looked up into the man's eyes. They showed a great mixture of emotions, storming as they battled for the conquest, and his pupils were dilated. He leaned in closer.

And then she was gone.

"_Dread it_," Rumplestiltskin said through gritted teeth. "I really wonder if there's a time-fix for this machine." He banged his fist against the teleport which bleeped at this before he returned to his desk and slammed a flat palm against the computer.

The screen switched on to show a picture of Erin sitting on a couch, munching ice cubes. '_Talk to ya later, Rumps_' the little text that accompanied it said.

Rumplestiltskin stared at it with wide eyes, then mumbled_ "Well, have I ever."_


	10. JuliaForADay

**Gold's Midnight Encounters: For _JuliaForADay_**

* * *

**__**

The door creaked and the little bell chimed to announce another guest while Mr Gold was seated in the backroom. Outside the only lights seen were those of the street lamps and the stars. Inside the shop was heated by a radiator which was deemed necessary for the cold was doing its utmost best to creep into Mr Gold's shop of antiques and nice little trinkets.

The man in question stopped polishing his silver cup ware and listened to the footsteps heading his way. His lips itched to twitch into a smile as he was fairly certain that only one person would dare to march into his shop in the middle of the night. Only one woman in this town had the guts and the attitude to do so.

"Emma," He looked up, brown eyes filling with confusion at the figure standing in the doorway. She was taller than the woman he had expected and her hair wasn't blonde but brown. He watched how she lacked Emma's curls and how her eyes were as brown as his, though neatly hidden behind lavender-colored glasses. He quirked a brow.

"I'm not Emma." The girl said shyly, a blush faintly tingling her cheeks. It was easy to see that she wasn't feeling very comfortable with her position in the doorway. It felt like marching in on someone, bothering him. "I'm sorry, " She said, and turned to leave.

But Mr Gold called after her, quickly putting the silver cup aside and reaching for his cane so he could haul himself out of his chair and onto his feet. "Dear, wait." He frowned at her as she stiffened and turned to look at him from over her shoulder. She was new in town, a stranger.

"Who are you, dear? I think we've never met."

The girl smiled at him and licked her lips. "I'm Julia, Mr Gold."

The man winced at the use of his name. "How did you-?"

"Know?" She interrupted him, and then pointed at the sign outside his shop albeit it being out of view for the both of them. "It says so."

"Oh right," Mr Gold hummed, slowly limping over to her as his predator gaze scanned her skin from head to toe. For a moment he had feared this would be another incident as he'd had in Fairy Tale Land; _when that damned teleport still functioned_.

He cleared his throat. "Well, Miss Julia," his voice sounded husky and deep ever still, "you must forgive me. I have never seen your face before. Are you new in town?"

She carefully nodded, locks of her straight brown hair fell in front of her eyes and she had to tug them behind her ear again. "I understand. You hardly ever have visitors in town."

Mr Gold's famous trade-mark smirk grew. "Correct."

"You never have tourists." She concluded and he eyed her suspiciously, having taken his stand next to the counter and having placed his fingertips spread on the counter-top. He gave her a pensive look and then traced the tip of his tongue past his upper lip.

"Who are you, dear?" He finally asked her, emitting a smile from the girl. Julia ran a hand through her hair.

"It seems we're in business," She told him, her brown eyes twinkling, "I'll tell you for a price."

Mr Gold hissed through his teeth as he leant back against the counter. Nevertheless the wrinkles next to his eyes and lips betrayed his amusement. "You're switching the roles around, Julia."

This time he wasn't the one whose identity needed to be guessed. He needed to know who she was; not her name but her entire being. "Fine, name your price and in return tell me all about you." He folded his hands in front of his chest and eyed her intently.

Julia peered back at the chocolate brown eyes that lay so intensely upon her

"Are you willing to go as far as it takes?" She asked him, making him grin and look away as she caught him with his own words and confirmed once more to him that she wasn't just an ordinary visitor.

"Farther." He replied, his eyes wrinkling with joy.

Julia smiled at him and took a few steps closer. "Alright," She said, "Now this is who I am, but in return I want you to," She leaned into him and whispered in his ear. His brown eyes widened at her words and his fingers flexed before gripping the counter ridge behind him.

When she pulled away and smiled down at him all he could do was catch his breath and nod sullenly. "You're a tough one to deal with." He said, voice soft.

"Just keep your word, Mr Gold."

He eyed her sternly. "You know I will."

This made Julia smile. "Good." She snapped her fingers. "I came here because I wanted to, Mr Gold. It is no magic or anything of the sort. It's not a game of the Queen," She shyly added, "or mayor," before she continued in her normal voice "and I am not just any random tourist. I came here because I wanted this favour of you. And it seems I got my way."

Her happy expression got him reeling. She had tricked him into making the deal she wanted without being any wiser himself in the end. How did she gain this talent? He eyed her suspiciously.

"Are you from the future?" He wondered in his Scottish brogue. Had she inherited these negotiation skills?

But all Julia did was smile mysteriously and claps her hands behind her back. "I should dig up that old teleport of yours. It might still function." And as she said it she started to dissolve and Mr Gold _knew_ that said object still functioned. It took him by surprise and he had to sit down. The first rays of sun were already showing through his window.

While sitting stunned on the stool behind his counter he could hear the birds start to chirp. He leaned forth to reach for his shovel and glanced at it. He needed to dig up that teleport as soon as possible. Just as he sat up straight with the shovel in his hand the door of his shop opened and a smiling blonde woman appeared; her silhouette the only thing he could see as she stood surrounded by the first beams of sunlight. Golden. He had to remember his promise to Julia and smiled.

Luckily Gold had a thing for tall women.


	11. Kathrynthegreatone

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For kathrynthegreatone**

* * *

In the midst of the night a golden man was seated behind his desk, bottling fame, toying with the ingredients for the curse he wanted to create, when suddenly a sizzling sound from behind him announced another guest and he turned, languidly, to keep his eyes on the teleport. Out of the area sparks emerged and a woman stepped.

Rumplestiltskin raised a brow at his new visitor and gestured with his claw-like hand. "Please, take a seat." He said, having added a new stool to his dungeon room because of the amount of visitors he had lately.

The woman smiled and took a few steps forth. With her eyes darting to the stool it was easy to see she was hesitating and the golden imp rolled his eyes. "It's not booby-trapped, dearie."

She sat down and smiled at him. "So, what is your name, dearie?" Rumplestiltskin inquired, and the woman replied with her lips curled. "You can call me mom."

The imp blinked. "Mom? You're not _my_ mother, are you?"

The woman laughed and shook her head. "No, I'm not _your_ mother."

"Alright, mom," Rumplestiltskin continued, he always had a weak for young children and babies and anyone calling themselves a mom in his books was someone of great importance and worth dealing with, "have you come to make me a deal?"

Mom looked at him pensively. "I'm not quite sure why I am here to be honest." She replied, making the imp frown. "I am quite a fan of the series."

This raised the man's interest. "The series? My dear, dearie, dearie, this is the real life. Nya-ah."

Mom had to smile at his deranged giggle and placed her hands on her knees. "I am a fan of you."

This made the imp blush. "Get out." He muttered, not ready to take a compliment.

"I don't know what just happened," Mom said, running a hand through her hair, "one moment I was studying for college and being distracted by my two boys, the next I was zapped away and reappeared in your chamber. I must say, you've decorated your dungeon-home really stylish."

Rumplestiltskin clapped his hands. "You think?" He said, proud of the way he had furbished, although minimalistic, his dungeons to be the proper study for him.

Mom nodded.

"Wait, did you say college?" Rumplestiltskin asked, eyes narrowed.

"Yes, I am a college student and I," she looked away, "actually need to study a bit more than I do now."

The golden man hummed. "Well, with two kids I'd say it isn't odd you haven't the time to do all." There was a twinkle in his eyes, a vague twinge of memories and of remembering.

Mom saw it and leaned closer to him. "Are you thinking of him?" She asked. "Of your son?"

This snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked at her with a scowl. His lips curled into a snarl. "Care to make a deal?" He sung. She'd clearly been right with her assumption. He had been thinking of Baelfire.

"Alright," Mom agreed, just to please him. "What is it you have to offer me?"

This returned Rumplestiltskin's smile. "I can give you more time for fun. How does that sound, dearie?"

"And I would benefit from this how?" Mom asked, tapping a finger against the desk.

The golden man circled his hands about in great dramatic and theatrical movements. "Isn't it obvious dearie?"

"More time and more fun?" she repeated as she wondered out loud and mulled his words over.

"Yes," Rumplestiltskin replied, confused and curious where she was taking this conversation. "I'd say it speaks for itself."

"I can't accept that." Mom finally said, having Rumplestiltskin's eyes turn as large as plates in confusion and shock of being denied a deal. "You know, being a bit stressed makes me work harder and I get better results."

His large orbs looked confused at her but as her words settled it caused him to smile. "I see, a clever girl then." He mused. "So the deal is off?"

Mom smiled at him. "The deal is off."

With a loud exaggerated sigh Rumplestiltskin turned back to his bottles. "Usually there is something I can persuade my clients with."

Mom eyed him. "But I am not a client." He hesitated and she knew he was listening intently. "I am a friend."

Frozen, Rumplestiltskin sat, bottles in his hands, until after a pregnant pause he turned his head to her and repeated. "Friend?" But she had already gone.

The thought was too alien for him, too new, to accept as reality. "A friend." He murmured to himself as he continued his work.

_He has a friend._


	12. Talesasoldastime

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For tales-as-old-as-time**

* * *

The sun had set and the sky had slowly turned a dark color until stars had come and had given some light. It was in this setting that a girl with auburn hair danced through the garden, singing her silly heart out and attracting Rumplestiltskin's attention. The golden man was out for the night to gather herbs for his magical potions when he heard the soft singing. As he stepped closer the singing became louder until he realized the girl was rather shouting the song.

"Princesses" He muttered, not certain if he should be pleased or annoyed by what he saw (and heard). With a curious interest flickering in his larger eyes he decided to approach the girl who was swirling on her feet with her arms outstretched and a large smile on her face. Just as he came to stand close by her she managed to trip over the tip of her own shoes and fell down, face-first, into the dirt.

This erupted a laugh from Rumplestiltskin and held his belly.

"You're most amusing, dearie." He said, grinning a toothy smile.

The girl looked up at him, dark brown eyes meeting his brighter ones as she crawled up on her feet again. "Thank you," She said, dusting her clothes. Unearthly ones, he noted. She wasn't wearing the standard type of princess dresses. The observation made the imp raise a brow.

"But wait till you see me trip _again_." She said to him, eyeing him shyly. He rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"What's your name?" he asked her, and her shy smile turned more playful now.

"I'm Misty." She replied.  
"No poke-balls, eh?" Rumplestiltskin joked, but when he saw her frown he quickly swallowed and ran a hand through his hair. "You have a lovely voice."

"Really?'Misty said, turning a bit red at his compliment. She was clearly not quite sure how to handle his praise.

Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes again. "Yes, a lovely voice." He decided not to tell her a few singing lessons would do no harm.

She stepped closer to him and smiled.

"You're not a princess, are you?" Rumplestiltskin asked her, his brows raised. With a kind smile Misty shook her head, long curls dancing around her face. The imp looked entranced at it, feeling the sudden urge to touch her tresses and bring her hair close to his lips.

"No, I'm just a girl who loves vintage things, antiques, old things - they hold character. I'm sentimental, and a history buff." She gazed up into his eyes. Why was he looked so transfixed at her? "I love things of the past. I write a lot, and I love to sing and dance, though," here she paused and shyly glanced aside, "I'm not a professional dancer, I'm just silly!" She beamed at him, a bright smile on her face, and was shocked to find Rumplestiltskin's hands on her shoulders as soon as she had stopped rambling.

Misty blinked up at him. Although it was night the sky was covered with stars and the light of the moon made out the golden man's features and showed the glistening in his much too-large-to-be-human eyes. She felt her throat had gone dry and parted her lips.

Just like that he let go of her and turned away. "So, you are a traveler." He said, eyes downcast and voice monotone. He walked over to the parts and pieces of the teleport which he had moved outside, just until his spring clean would be over. Spring clean, _he could use a caretaker for that._

"I don't really know how I got here." Misty confessed, bringing her hands in front of her and staring at her fingertips. Nervously she raised them and glanced over at the imp.

"Would you care to make a deal?" Rumplestiltskin said, his head turning so he looked at her from over his shoulder. He looked tired rather, almost sad.

The girl stopped biting her nails, a tendency she had whenever she was anxious, and gave him a smile. She knew that making a deal, any deal for that matter, with the golden man would result in something bad for her. And no matter how much tempted she was she could hear the tiny voice of reason inside her mind telling her to continue her dancing and singing. But to do the brave thing, she pondered. She was scared of making a deal with him but he looked a little forlorn and she wanted to make him smile again. Do the brave thing and bravery will follow, she mentally encouraged herself, and her smile expanded.

"Alright. We have a deal. I'll do what you want, give you what you want, so long as you'll dance with me." She looked up at him. "Just one dance." Her cheeks colored.

The imp got close to her and studied her face to see if she was earnest. When he saw she meant what she had said his eyes started to twinkle again like the stars way up in the sky.

"But there's no music." He whispered.

"Why would we need any?"

He smiled at Misty's words and took her hand in his, the other was placed at the small of her back. He pulled her close, his body flush against her own, and grinned down at her.

"And as for what I want," He said, his voice dripping, like silk, "I want you to sing for me." His words were like the hiss of a snake, and Misty found her voice leaving her at his request. Her knees felt like jelly and she wobbled against the man, tripping over her own feet and almost falling to the ground had he not been holding her and elegantly leaning her over his knee – as if it had all been part of the dance.

"Hmm, Lovely," He hummed, but she looked at him with eyes wide. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered, knowing that above all things she was clumsy. She tried singing a song, but hummed it when the words wouldn't come to her. Soon she found herself swirling in the arms of the golden man. He had started humming along, albeit he didn't know the song. Their dance continued, a spin, a turn, another almost trip and fall and another set of strong arms to hold her. And then she was gone.

Rumplestiltskin rested his hand against the fence of his garden and caught his breath. "Well," he muttered to himself, "at least this deal was worth it."


	13. Badboyboogie

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For bad-boy-boogie**

* * *

With one guest only having vanished mere moments ago, Rumplestiltskin squeaked in surprise when the teleport behind him started to sizzle and function for a second time that night. He turned toward it and stepped closer, his leather pants audibly protesting against the movements he tried to perform in silence. His task of gathering herbs for his latest magic potion was completely forgotten at the announcing of a new guest.

As Rumplestiltskin leaned close against the machine he was startled to find a girl coming out of it and in his surprise started a series of loud giggles. He couldn't help it.

The girl turned her confused eyes at him and frowned. She was small and thin, with dark blonde hair and eyes that, even in the dark, he could distinguish to be a mixture of green and blue.

"Did I frighten you?" The girl asked, still confused.

The imp turned his face at her and grimaced. "Frighten me?" Of all the questions he had not expected this one. "No, dearie, why would you?"

"Because I'm not supposed to be here?"

Rumplestiltskin gestured at their surroundings, a garden at nighttime, only lit by the stars and the moonlight. "Of course you are. The machine just brought you here, didn't it?"

"Now why would it do that?" She asked, bringing a finger up to her lips.

The golden man smirked at her as he spoke through gritted teeth. "Perhaps because I wished for a caretaker for my rather large estate."

The girl glanced at him pensively. "I don't know." She mumbled.

"Well, dearie-"

She interrupted him. "Taylor." And he glanced at her pensively.

"Well, Taylor. The job is simple. You help me dust and clean my rather large estate." The way he punctuated it was subtle.

Taylor frowned at him. "That doesn't sound like much fun."

Rumplestiltskin looked a little taken aback but then showed another toothy smile. "But it can be." His hands fluttered all around him theatrically.

"Will there be music?" Taylor asked.

"How do you mean?" The golden man's eye twitched.

"You can't expect me to stay here and do all the cleaning when there's no music. Do you own any instruments? A guitar? Drums?"

His eye twitched more. "Why would you want them?"

She stepped closer at him and reached for his hands. "Because my life revolves around music and having fun, _dearie_."

Rumplestiltskin visibly flinched when she used that affectionate term back at him. Usually he was the one to address others this way but this time it was the other way around and it was new to him. "Then I can't keep you." He muttered quietly.

Taylor shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. Besides," She pointed at the teleport. "You might want to put that thing inside your house again. It's quite cold here during the nights." She folded her arms in front of her to keep warm. Rumplestiltskin smiled.

"I forgot. The teleport will zap you away soon."

"Have you no magic to let me stay, permanently?"

"Why would you ask?"

"Why did you ask me to be your maid then?"

"Touché." Rumplestiltskin clicked his tongue. "All magic comes with a price."

"As long as it's a price you'd be willing to pay." Taylor nodded.

"Yes," the golden man said with a small smile, dreamily almost. "Yes."

"Think about it, about what I said." Taylor said with a wink as she started to fade. Rumplestiltskin watched with a curl of the lips. "Oh Taylor, play a song for me please, whenever you're home."

He could not tell whether she smiled in consent or whether he had just imagined it. But then she was gone and he looked up at the sky. The first rays of light touched his face and he let out a deep sigh.

He had completely forgotten to pluck his ingredients. With a growl he realized this and marched angrily into his home. "Those damn herbs can only be plucked at night." His guests had kept him from his duty and now he had to wait till it was night again.


	14. Lookingformyunicorn

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For lookingformyunicorn**

* * *

With the last rays of sunlight Rumplestiltskin, his golden skin glittering only faintly in the light of the setting sun, hurried to collect the herbs he needed and he could only find at night. Amidst the mingled sweets of _the evening air_ there was the heavy scent of the new cut grass, and the aroma of the sprouts of pines, which the sun had just left. The golden man bent forth and plucked some of the green which he then collected in a basket he held under his arm. In this fashion he continued, humming softly, until behind him a sound sizzled and he knew, without looking, that the teleport Rush had given him had started to function.

This meant there would be a new presence, a new guest.

Rumplestiltskin turned his head and looked at her from over his shoulder, a sly smile on his lips. Even in the darkness he could make out the faint traces of a girl. She was returning his smile.

"And how can I help you, dearie?" The man said, lips twitching. He cradled the basket of herbs close to his chest and turned fully towards her, studying her in the dim light of the moon and the stars. A gush of wind passed them and grazed their skin, and Rumplestiltskin realized he felt more alive at night, in the presence of his extraordinary uninvited guests, than he had ever felt before.

The girl hesitated and parted her lips, her smile never wavering.

"Ah, don't tell me." The imp quickly said, stopping her before words could escape her. He wiggled a golden finger in front of her, aware she must see the movement even in the dark. "Aaah," His voice creaked, and almost another giggle had come forth if he hadn't suppressed it in time. Now it was only a choked chuckle. "you came here to help me."

"To help you?" The girl said, sounding somewhat surprised. Her smile remained but it looked more confused now, like her voice and words had indicated.

"Yes, yes, yes, dearie. Work needs to be done here." Rumplestiltskin marched resolutely past her, his arm brushing past hers. "What better time to start then now. Stay here, dearie."

He leaned forth and placed the basket of herbs next to the door.

"You can call me Megan," Megan said, eyeing him suspiciously. She touched her own face, something she usually did when she was nervous. And the presence of this golden man, this imp, was enough to make her very nervous.

"Megan," Rumplestiltskin coed. Her smile had become an awkward smile now.

When Rumplestiltskin didn't continue his speech Megan walked over to him and halted in front of him, standing face to face. "Is this going to be another of your deals?" She asked him, her smile now inquisitive.

_Amazing,_ Rumplestiltskin thought, _her smile betrays all her emotions. She doesn't just have one smile but several._ He wondered just how many of these smiles she held. If he'd make a deal with her he should ask for any of her smile, to hold them, even for just a day. A smile was powerful, if not only to influence any current mood.

The imp hesitated. "I guess I am famous for that." He finally said with a crooked grin.

"You are," Megan confirmed. "Your deals always end-"

He cut her short, irritated. "things I benefit from. Yes I know." He waved his hands about elegantly. It was as if his sleeves, his ruffles, lived a life of their own by the movements they made as they danced around his arms. He took on a dancing pose.

"That is why I won't ask you for one."

Megan huffed. "You sound as if you've heard this many times before."

"Not many," The golden man said, "But approximately twelve times in the past twelve nights." He showed his teeth at her, his smile gone and his eyes glistening. "So how about you help me move that thing." He pointed at the teleport.

Megan frowned. "What's in it for me?"

The man had to think. She was still smiling. Would that smile truly never fade? "Will you help me yes or no?"

Megan took a step back. This was foul game. He was playing dirty for asking her this way. After all she had a hard time saying no. "Yes," She agreed and came closer again, "I'll help."

As Megan took her stand at one side of the teleport, Rumplestiltskin came to stand at the other side, and together they lifted the machine and started to bring it inside his castle. The teleport wasn't that big, and being the shape of a tube it looked as if both figures were hugging the instrument. Megan's arms circled half way around it, and coincidentally, so did Rumplestiltskin's. This caused for their arms to brush past each other by each step they took and Megan could feel her face flush. The imp's skin was warm, she could feel it each time his hands connected with hers.

"Couldn't you have done this on your own?" Megan finally dared to ask. "After all, you got it outside, right?"

The golden man gave her an impish smile. "Oh yes," he murmured. "But where would have been the fun in that?" His hand brushed past hers again as she let go.

"Next time I would like to make a deal with you." Megan said.

The imp smirked at her. "Wouldn't we all?" His reply held a little air of arrogance.

She blushed and started to dissolve.

Rumplestiltskin clicked his tongue and run a hand through his hair. "Alas, my company is gone."

He swiftly turned on his heels and walked back to the garden to collect the ingredients for his curse.

The basket had fallen over and the herbs had been blown away. Rumplestiltskin knelt down and ran his fingers through the mud. He had to collect the herbs all over again. Tomorrow, he thought.

Tomorrow there would be another night.


	15. Sheriffemmagold

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters for Sheriffemmagold**

* * *

The night was calm and quiet when Rumplestiltskin set himself to work on his most ultimate achievement of all: the curse intended for the queen. He had foreseen she would use it and had, up until now, always wondered why creating it would take him these hundred years of time.

With the soft sounds of the machine Rush had given him behind him he could now guess why. Another night had come and another guest had arrived, and as he turned like he had done so many times before he came face to face with yet another girl. He counted silently on his fingers. So far he'd only had one boy visit him. It seemed the machine favored to bring him female guests.

The girl brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and smiled at him. Her long dark hair fell around her head like a curtain, gracing her. Rumplestiltskin noticed how she had wine red highlights in her hair and felt a shiver run down his spine. The Evil Queen used them in her hair. The fact this girl had them too made him wonder if perhaps she was somehow related.

"A magical being." He cooed from his seat behind his desk of potions and herbs.

She smiled and shook her head. "Perhaps a little."

Rumplestiltskin Pointed at her hair. "The red streaks."

She took a strand of her hair in her hand and looked at it confused before smiling at him. "The hairdresser did this. It is no magic."

"So, it isn't inherited?" The golden man carefully asked.

"No, silly. It's not as if I'm related to Scabior the snatcher." She let out a soft laugh and he grinned toothily at her, having no idea what she was on about. When her laughter stopped she noticed the frown on his golden face and suddenly realized he might have been referring to the queen. She had been following the Once Upon A Time series pretty well.

"Oh, you mean the queen?" She finally said, putting a hand on her hip. "No, I'm not the Evil Queen."

His grin remained. "I wasn't saying you are, dearie."

"Please, call me Brittany." Brittany said, then brushed a lock of hair out of her face once more. "I thought you meant it because of the red in my hair." She smiled at him and shook her head once more, hair dancing around her. "I am not really a big fan of her."

Rumplestiltskin slapped his hand to his own knee and let out a high-pitched giggle. "It seems we have something in common then." His snake-eyes twinkled. "I dislike her too."

Brittany stepped closer to him and studied the items on his desk.

"What are you making, if you don't mind me asking?"

The imp smirked and shook his head wildly, brown hair flaying, before theatrically waving his hands about. "This? Oh, nothing much. Just doing my best to create a curse."

Brittany eyed him until he turned to stare back into her eyes. Her stare made him sulk and wonder if he had said something wrong but then she surprised him by making the next comment. "It wouldn't happen to be the curse to end all curses which you'll give to Regina, would it?"

His jaw dropped and he stared at her, baffled. "Well," He said after composing himself. "It happens to be just that spell."

Brittany studied him as she circled around him the best she could. She slid a finger past his cheek at which he moved his head aside, not accustomed to being touched. She let her fingers run past his curly hair which made him mewl. She traced a hand down his leather-clad back which made him arch his back.

"You don't look like you do when the curse is enacted yet." She finally said, having studied him thoroughly. He raised a brow in wonder. "You have less wrinkles, less chunks of gold on your skin and your hair is very neat and not as frizzled as it is then."

The imp felt like he needed to defend himself and gazed down at his hands in his lap. He mumbled almost inaudibly. "That is because the curse isn't finished yet and not yet ready for use."

"Well, I suggest you hurry then." Brittany whispered. She gave him a knowing smile and a wink, and then retreated to the teleport area. Rumplestiltskin watched her with wide eyes before pushing himself up from his seat.

"Brittany, wait!" he stretched out a claw-like hand to her and by doing so accidently brushed the bottle of love off the table. It fell to the ground with a nerve-wrecking sound of glass shattering and the ingredient disappeared in smoke.

With a loud curse he stared at the shattered remains, only to hear Brittany tell him that such a curse wasn't going to work. "You can do it," she said as she started to face. "You'll make the perfect curse in due time."

Rumplestiltskin hobbled over to her to find her dissolve and let out a strangled growl. He had to start all over again. But it was good to know someone had faith in him.


	16. Catiematie

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters for Catiematie**

* * *

In the midst of the night, when Rumplestiltskin sat behind his desk and was bending over the many odd vials and potions he held there, a new visitor appeared behind him in the corner of the room and stepped up close. She studied the creature in front of her in silence as he hastily and nimbly worked on what he considered to be a great curse.

He continued with great zeal to add and mix herbs and water to a vial and didn't jump when the girl placed a hand on his shoulder. Instead he only grinned and continued his chore.

"Hello, dearie." He said, sounding composed.

"Hello mister Rumplestiltskin," The girl replied timidly.

Rumplestiltskin continued his work in silence, biting his lip gently as he focused on the amounts of ingredients he was adding. The girl sat down next to him and placed her hands on her knees, arms outstretched, as she watched him wiggle his tools about.

"You did not come for a deal." The imp stated calmly.

His guest frowned and pursed her lips. "why would you say that?"

Rumplestiltskin let out a dramatic sigh as he rolled his eyes. "They never really do come for deals anymore these nights. They only come to disturb me and keep me from finishing 'the curse'."

A bit hurt by his words the girl placed her hands in her sides and huffed. "Well, I did come to make you a deal." Her protest was welcomed by the golden man who dropped everything he was doing and turned toward her with bright eyes, twinkling with joy and mischief.

"You came to make a deal?" He said, giggle already passing his lips.

"Yes, Rumplestiltskin. A deal." She smiled coyly at him, her eyes twinkling too.

The imp watched her now, studying her, and noticed that she was taller than he was, even when seated it was evident. Her long brown hair and brown eyes caught his attention and he licked his lips. Her accent, it reminded him of his own.

"Well, how can I be of your service?" The man said as he tripped off his chair and caught himself in a deep reverence, bowing deeply before eyeing her as he got up again.

"First let me introduce myself," the girl said, offering him her hand to shake. "I'm Catie."

The golden man looked at her hand but was uncertain what to do with it. Was shaking hands a common practice down his world? It wasn't really, and so he opted to do nothing but stare at her long fingers until she had reached for his own. With a firm shake she let go of his hand, leaving him to watch his now empty palm. She had just greeted him.

"And I love baking pies, as you might tell." She gazed at him and saw him quickly recover from the unexpected shake of hands.

"Ah, yes, of course, dearie. You love baking." He pursed his lips and she did the same, mirroring him.

"Now, I know I probably annoy a lot of people with my talk about, well, about bacon." She glanced at the floor and missed his small sneer.

"Bacon, yes, of course." The imp muttered, a finger pressed against his lips.

"And I was wondering if you could give me the best recipe for a bacon meal you have."

There, she was done and looked at him expectantly. The imp of a man smiled slyly at her and considered her words.

"The best I have or the best in the entire world?" he asked, hands circling the shape of the globe.

"The best in my world." She said and saw him frown.

"Your world I am unfamiliar with." Rumplestiltskin admitted reluctantly. "But," he piped, voice changing pitch and hands elegantly swirling close to his ear, "Magic has no worldly limits. It should be done."

"Great," Catie said as she clapped her hands and jumped up from her seat. "See to it."

"Now wait a minute dearie. Aren't we forgetting something?" the imp hummed seductively as he stepped closer to her.

Catie just gave him a stare, thinking she could avoid the inevitable 'price' discussion and fool him into giving her the recipe for free. The man wiggled a finger at her and tusked. Finally she rolled her eyes and gestured at him. "Alright, name your price."

Filled with delight, Rumplestiltskin folded his hands and giggled manically. "My price," he then said, "is that you bake a pie and give it my face."

Catie blinked. "What?"

"You heard me, Catie. When you're home you must bake a pie and shape my image on it. _Promise me._"

She hesitated but then with a nod gave in. "Alright," she said, "we have a deal." Her hand was outstretched again and Rumplestiltskin looked at it. This time he took the hint and shook it, looking her in the eyes as he did so. The recipe had appeared in her hand and just in time for she started to dissolve. "Thank you." Her words sounded, and Rumplestiltskin turned back to his desk.

"I wonder if it would have been a lovely pie." He muttered. But as he set to work the teleport behind him was switched on for just a moment and through it an item was sent. A pie, with his face on it. He smirked.

"Thank you, dearie."


	17. Jezzleavesthebreakson

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters for ****jezzleavesthebreakson **

* * *

It was already late at night when Rumplestiltskin sat in front of the fireplace. With his cheek resting on one hand and his lips slightly parted, the sound of soft snoring filling the room, and a glass of wine dangling dangerously between the fingers of his right, he was unaware of yet another visitor entering the premises and eyeing her way around. She eventually managed her way out of the dungeons and the dark chambers in which he kept his darkest works and ingredients. She made it into the room where she found him asleep and for a moment watched him before studying the tapestry.

The room was decorated tastefully, and, after acknowledging that her surroundings must be very fashionable for the world she now found herself in, she made her way to the chair opposite of the sofa on which the golden man reclined and sat down to study him. With one leg over the other and her hands folded in her lap she watched him. He looked peaceful, despite his golden skin and reptile-like clothes. He seemed almost harmless this way.

The man stirred and his tongue darted out to lick the corner of his lips. Then finally his eyes flung open and immediately burned on her. "Enjoying yourself watching me sleep?" He remarked. The girl flushed.

"I didn't mean to-"

But he cut her short. "Yes. Yes, you did mean to."

She flushed, suddenly very shy, and avoided his penetrating eyes. "I'm sorry."

"So what's your name, dearie? I had already expected you."

She sat up straight on her seat. "Expected me?" she said, sounding confused. "Well, you can call me Jess."

Rumplestiltskin put the glass of wine aside and leaned with his elbows on his knees. " Jess, a pretty name for a pretty creature."

She blushed even more now.

"Ah, and so shy." He joked, a finger pointing at her. He looked at her. She wasn't very tall, shorter than he was. Her hair was brown and short and she wore glasses. He smirked. "How about you give me those glasses?"

"Wait, what?" Jess stammered. "My glasses?" What would he want with her glasses, she wondered, and silently took them off and handed them to him. The golden imp turned them over in his hands and grinned.

"Fashionable." He mused, putting them on and walking over to a covered mirror. He jerked away the fabric covering the object and took a stance in front of the looking-glass. "How do I look, your majesty?" he said, fingers curling next to his head in a dramatic dance pose.

Jess couldn't help but giggle. She wanted to make a joke about the way he stood there, in other worlds and situations embarrassing, but found herself at a loss for words. "You look fancy." She said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Fancy?" he asked, turning slightly to her and bringing her glasses to the tip of his nose so he could peer over them.

"You look hipster." A voice came out of the mirror. Jess recognized it to be that of the Evil Queen.

"Thank you, your majesty." Rumplestiltskin gracefully bowed and then covered the mirror again.

"What is she doing awake at this hour?" Jess ventured to ask, a deep frown on her face.

"She likes to keep an eye on things at all times." The golden man said. He took her glasses off but didn't return them. Instead he turned them over in his hands, again and again, and started to toy with them.

"Can I have them back now, please? I need them." Jess lamented.

Rumplestiltskin looked at her and his trade-mark smirk appeared. "No, you don't need them. You can see without them right now."

Jess was about to protest when she realized he was right. And at the same time she realized what he was doing. "Oh no, you're not pushing me into a deal I don't want."

With an exaggerated sigh he returned her glasses to her. "Too bad. I could have helped you, you know."

"Thanks, but I am used to them." Jess said. She leaned an arm on the ridge of the chair and pointed at him.

"Aren't you afraid to tell me so many things and show my presence to the queen?"

"Oh no, not at all, dearie." Rumplestiltskin laughed. "I know that soon you'll be gone home and there's nothing she could or would do to harm you in so short a time. Besides, you couldn't do me harm either." He smirked.

"So each time someone comes through here and spends a moment with you, you have a friend to confide in?" Jess asked.

This rendered the golden man silent. Did he confide in these people? Did he have friends? The thought had not passed him yet and his face paled.

"So I am right." Jess said with a smile.

Rumplestiltskin only gave a faint nod.

"Good," Jess murmured. "You've been through a lot of hardship. You deserve some friends." At this she started to fade. Only a few more words reached the imp before she was fully gone. "And it's all quite safe. It is not as if the Evil Queen would come visiting, with me being in a different world and all…."

She had gone, and Rumplestiltskin was left blinking. "You're right." He muttered silently. "She would never think to come and visit your world." _But I would._ His eyes slid to the other side of the room and a smirk grew on his face. Mischief.

"Your world." He hummed as he pushed himself from the sofa.

"Time to work on that curse."


	18. Janeeyretaughtmeromance

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For Janeeyretaughtmeromance  
**

* * *

The night was pitch black when Rumplestiltskin, dressed in his cloak, came in from the rain and cold and carelessly placed a basket of herbs on his desk. He said down with a grunt and leaned forward to study the list of ingredients her had made. He checked them all to discover he only needed one more: a hair.

A black hair.

He frowned and placed a finger against his lips while he murmured, "a black hair, where can I find one of those?"

Deep in thought, he didn't hear the pleasant buzzing noise of the teleport in the corner of the room and only turned to face his new visitor when he heard footsteps come to a halt behind him. As he turned he came face to face with a girl who was tugging at her earlobe. She looked Indian, with deep dark eyes and, conveniently, thick, wavy black hair.

His impish smile expanded.

Bingo. 'Well, talk about giddy luck' the man complimented himself. It seemed the ingredient had come to him.

"Dearie, " He crooned, "What brought you here at this time of the" he feigned to read the time from a clock on the nearby wall, "night?"

This was shopping without having to go to a shop, Rumplestiltskin thought. He wondered if he should think of a word for it, a special term. But then realized if he would start at that he would soon find himself with a rather large dictionary of new impish words. He had been having so many guests lately, and all had brought and said strange things. He glanced at the computer at the corner of his desk and then at the Dinosaur drawing above it.

The girl gave a shrug and extended a hand to him. He watched the action like a kitten would watch a mouse, his head bobbing up and then down as her hand made a similar motion through the air.

"I don't know." She replied. "One moment I was at home, the next I was here."

The imp smiled at her reply and realized how foolish his question had been. He rested his arms on the desk in front of him but kept his head turned to her. He delicately lifted a brow. "And your name, dearie?"

The girl smiled at him. "You can call me Shama." She said, brown eyes sparkling.

Rumplestiltskin chuckled and moved his hands and shoulders up in delight. She had such a sweet voice when she talked, it gave him tummy-butterflies. "Ooh-ooh," He panted and giggled at the same time, "What a lovely name."

Dread it, not what he had wanted to say but better than telling her plain right he loved her accent. After all, she might comment on his. He grinned at her. "And, my dear, have you any idea how long you'll be staying?"

Shama pursed her lips but then gave a resolute 'no'. "But," She said, "I think you know how much time I have. You don't seem very surprised so you probably have had more people like me bursting into your home."

"Oh dearie, that I have." Rumplestiltskin said, tracing a finger through the air. "That I have." He punctuated.

She glanced around and studied his chamber. Shama walked a circle to study each wall while Rumplestiltskin watched her with interest. She had the right hair. She had what he needed. Once she was in front of him again he licked his lips.

"Can you turn around please?"

"What for?" Shama asked, curious.

"Just turn."

She did as he asked and he drew forth, curling a hand into her hair and pinching one. He quickly retracted his hand and she called out. "Ouch," then rubbed her head. Her eyes were wide. "Did you just steal a hair from me?"

"Stealing is such a big word, dearie. Merely borrowing." The imp replied casually.

"Borrowing?"Shama cried, "When I am more than likely never to get that one back."

He smiled up at her and added the hair to his inventory. "Then what do you suggest?"

"I suggest we handle this as your deals. You get something, I get something. Compensation."

He eyed her smugly, a foot placed on his knee as he leaned back into his chair and took on a pensive expression. "Something in return?" He mused. Whatever could he give her? Whatever would she want.

He didn't need to think long because Shama had already spoken up. "Yes, You may have my hair and keep it, mister." She told him with a half-hearted smile, "But in return I want to see more scenes between your human self and a certain sheriff."

The imp looked at her puzzled. "Okay?" He said, hesitating and uncertain what she meant.

Shama smiled complacent. "Good. Because I am not watching this show for nothing, you know?"

As she said it she had started to dissolve and Rumplestiltskin was left staring at an empty space. "Human self," He murmured, lost in thought. "Sheriff." What kind of riddle had she left him with? After a while he decided to shrug it off and continue his latest potion. He added the hair as a finishing touch and whispered. "Thank you, Shama." Without her the potion would not have been finished this night.

—

In Storybrooke times, a trapped Mr Gold smiled as he greeted the sheriff. He had made a deal, a promise, many centuries ago, and now had to live up to it. "You're looking fine today." He told the other man, big smile on his face as he tried to be agreeable.

Graham returned the smile. "You too, Mr Gold." He said, flirty tone edging his voice. "You too."

They both winked at each other and Mr Gold went his way. When he turned the corner he could hear Mary Margaret talking to a friend. "Yeah, she got the job. Emma is now the deputy."

This was all confusing, the man thought, for the new blonde in town was next in line to become…. sheriff, he realized with a start.

"Well," Mr Gold told himself, looking rather out of the sorts, "Shama should have been more specific."


	19. Hippiechic1967

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For ****hippiechic1967**

* * *

The door to his chamber was ajar and, when a gush of wind passed his naked toes, he let out a giggle, wiggled them, and propped himself up onto his elbows to peer at the door. His snake-like eyes were a color of grey and bigger now that it was night and he tried to see despite the dark. He moved over till he was upon his side in an attempt to light a candle.

Having reached for a box of matches, he managed, with trembling hands, to create a flame and drew the candle close to him. He turned, halted, and looked up into unfamiliar blue-grey eyes.

A high-pitched scream ensued.

"Good god, girl, have you no mercy?" The imp cried out. The candle had dropped and started a fire on his pillows, but with a quick action of the duvet he somehow had managed to smother it. Once again his bedroom was covered in darkness.

"I just saw the scariest thing in my entire life." A voice said.

A reluctant gruff male voice replied. "You're not the only one." The sarcasm bit through the dark. "Who are you, dearie?" Rumplestiltskin finally asked. He had grown bored by the way the normal 'human' things refused to be of assistance to him and thus created a light by the magic of his hand. Granted, it would make his skin a tiny bit chunkier but it was worth it, right?

He could see her face now as she smiled at him. A girl of about 5'1 foot tall with very long hair and a slight tan. She was biting her lip nervously.

"I'm Brooke, but call me whatever you like." She offered.

"Alright, Bea." _Damn._ It sounded too much like Bae. Or was that only in his mind? Rumplestiltskin eyed her suspiciously. "Now that you have come here and have ruined my bed,"

"I did not do that on purpose." Brooke said, arms spread. "I was at home, listening to classical pop songs to choose one for my own funeral when all of a sudden-" She was making a sound as if she was zapped away but the imp was waving his hand as he continued. The light bulb floated magically between them.

"As I said," Rumplestiltskin continued stubbornly. "You deprived me of my sleep and a few beats of the heart. I guess you owe me enough to make up for that list of," he hesitated but found no better word or metaphor, "things." He finally concluded.

His eyes pierced hers, but soon Brooke found her attention drawn towards his magic. "Can I touch it?' she asked, wanting to reach for the magically created light that floated between them.

Rumplestiltskin dramatically clutched his head and cried out. "Dearie, have you even been listening to me?" He took her hand in his the moment she reached for the magical light and with it captured her attention.

She hummed at him and he blinked. "I take it as a no." Rumplestiltskin sighed.

"No, what?" Brooke asked, slightly distracted. "Oh, a deal?"

The golden imp nodded sulkily.

"Well, yes, no." The girl said with a smile. "I would want to make a deal with you if you can help me ger rid of my fear for elevators."

The man rolled his eyes.

"And what about my repayment? You injured my heart."

"It's your own fault for leaving the door open," Brooke replied hastily, then added with a faint blush, "and to sleep naked!"

Rumplestiltskin's eye twitched.

"It seems we've reached an impasse." He murmured. _Touché_. "let's pretend like none of this has happened and we meet again." He fluttered his hands about like butterflies. "Good Midnight to you, dearie. What is your name?"

Brooke opened her mouth to reply but it seemed the imp was content to fulfill both their parts in his conversation. "Why," He said in a slightly twisted and higher voice, "I am Bambi, but call me anything you like." He changed to his normal pitch again and swapped sides of the bed. "Well, hello thar, Buster. Came to make a deal?"

He switched sides again, the covers draping lower and lower down his body. "Yes, oh all-mighty- Rumplestiltskin. I want to have your help to choose me funeral song."

"How about There are no daises?" "Oh, That is wonderful. How can I ever repay you?" "I don't know. How about you give me your first-born?" "What a wonderful idea, Mr Rumplestiltskin. I'll give you two." "Then we have a deal?"

Rumplestiltskin had ended up in the middle of the bed with the covers pooling around his naked thighs, hands resting at his sides, and an eager expectation plastered on his face. He stared straight into her eyes, his own twinkling with anticipation.

"No." Brooke replied curtly.

The man hung his head. "Why not, dearie?" he mewled. "Why not make me a deal? It's late at night and there's no better time to make a deal than the present, they say. So how about it?"

Brooke shook her head and smiled at him. "You're tired, Rumple. Go to sleep." She reached for the covers and pulled them up so he looked a bit more decent.

The golden man looked up at her with a small smile. He whispered to her. "Thank you, Book."

And with another comforting smile she was gone.

"Brooke." Rumplestiltskin murmured. "_Book_."

He closed his eyes and smirked. "Storybook." He muttered. "Fairy tales are marvelous things. So, in fact, are all stories you can find within books. But this one will be different. This one will be mine."

And so he sat down to work and created his own little biography: his own brown book of fairy tales.


	20. Cosmiccrow

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For cosmiccrow **

* * *

The night was pitch black and clouds of thunder had gathered around the imp's estate in a desperate attempt to agonize him. He was behind his desk, rubbing his temples in an attempt to get rid of the dull ache inside his head, and cursed the Evil Queen who – without a doubt- sent these clouds here to keep him in.

He was just pondering what to do when the buzzing sound of the teleport that had been given to him by Rush sounded and announced a new visitor. It had been several nights since the teleport functioned last and he was glad to find himself having company. Living in the large castle he lived in was pretty lonely and he had grown accustomed to seeing a new face each night.

As a girl appeared in the corner of the room he turned around and raised a brow. She was about 5'3, and, so he estimated, 20 years of age. Her asymmetrical styled hair was brown and short, and she wore glasses. His eyes trailed up and down her form as he noted how curvy she was. Then he licked his lips.

"Well, If it isn't Eve?"

Eve looked at him and blinked. How he had guessed her name this fast was beyond her , but then again, he was Rumplestiltskin and that was reason enough for him to know everything about her.

_Most especially her name_.

She ran a hand through her hair. "So I guess there's no need for introductions, uh?" She said, smiling. "Pardon me, sir, if I have this wrong but I can't recall having seen you before other than on screen. I mean, it's not like I have been here in your home before, have I? Perhaps I have and I simply can't remember but that would be pretty silly, wouldn't it?" She laughed lightly.

"Yes," The man replied as he eyed her pensively. He was clearly withdrawn in his usually eccentric behavior. "You seem to have a habit of talking a lot."

Eve tried to be less enthusiastic but she sounded joyful nonetheless. "That was no proper answer to my question, sir Rumple." She bent forth and tapped his nose. "But I can't deny it. I do like to say I am very," She hesitated, "Verbose."

Rumplestiltskin raised a brow. "Are you now? And would you be interested in making a deal?"

The girl fell silent and blushed now. She usually was very shy, he could tell that, but somehow she felt like she knew him and it had made her excited.

"Ah, an unexpected question." Rumplestiltskin coed with pride.

"Not at all," Eve said, "I'd expected nothing less. You are famous for your deals."

"Then perhaps you'd like to know what I want?" The golden imp hummed.

Eve nodded. "All magic comes with a price."

It sounded like the faint echo of his own voice. He had said this line so often he had lost count and grinned at her. Something in his large eyes sparkled with mischief. "Yes," he hissed, very much like a snake. "All magic comes with a price, dearie."

"We haven't even discussed what you will give me yet." The girl retorted, her eyes met his and for a short moment her glasses reflected the light of Rumplestiltskin's magically crafted candles that adorned his desk and laminated the room.

"Well, there must be something you want." The man folded his arms amused in front of his chest. The ruffles of his sleeves grazed his golden skin and attracted the girl's attention.

"And something you'd wish in return." She said.

Rumplestiltskin drew a deep breath and pursed his lips. Then he cocked his head and squinted his eyes at her. His voice sounded curious. "How about _romance_?"

"Excuse me?" Eve chocked out, clearly surprised.

"That's not what I offer you, dearie." The imp clarified in vain.

"It's not your price." The girl steadfastly replied.

"No." Rumplestiltskin remained silent for a second, all the while he tapped his fingers thoughtfully together in front of him. Then his snake-like eyes slid back to her frame.

"I meant to ask how you are with romance. Is there a love in your life? A man you cannot seem to get?" When Eve remained silent he sighed. "Alright, how about achievements? Is there something you wished to excel at? I can give it to you all."

If he'd been great selling sheep dong at a market place he'd have been great selling words by merely letting them slip graciously from his tongue. But Eve was aware of his methods and firmly shook her head.

"No, No," she said. "I don't want anything you have to offer." She placed her hands behind her back. "Because I'd have to give something in return." She blushed. "And I know you have a thing for babies."

Rumplestiltskin eyed her in silence. "You think I'd ask you your child?"

Eve nodded carefully.

The imp's smile grew wide, and wider, and incredibly wide, until he started laughing really loud and slapped his thigh in between giggles. "That is," He panted, tears forming in his squeezed eyes, "That is a good one. You know me too well, dearie. You know what I like."

He held his tummy as he laughed and found Eve had started to laugh too. Their giggles filled the room.

"You know," She said in between stifled chuckles and groans, "Meeting you has already been a gift to me. You're a very special guy."

Rumplestiltskin grinned back at her. "And you're a very lucky girl, dearie."

Eve winked at him. "I'll see you soon." She had started to dissolve. The golden man reached for her and sighed.

"What could she mean by that?" He mumbled to himself. "Soon?"

As he leant back in his chair, somewhere in a different galaxy and world, two writers sat around a table and smiled at each other. "This'll do the trick." One said. "This'll make the fans go crazy. I swear. It's very clever."

The episode they discussed was aired that faithful day in April, when Eve watched the screen and gasped. "Oh Rumple," she bemoaned as she admired not only the writers' work but also the swift movements of that Scottish actor. "I said I'd see you soon again."


	21. Rumbelleismagic

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For Rumbelle-is-magic**

* * *

Time had been fleeting and unkind to the golden man. As he sat behind his desk and tried to piece two and two together to create his ultimate curse, he found the machine in the corner of the room buzzing and turned his head to face his new visitor. As he had expected it was yet another girl, this time a voluptuous one of average height, with blue eyes and brown hair down to her shoulders. He opened his mouth in surprise and let out a delighted squeal.

"Ah, You must have come to admire my work, dearie."

The girl smiled and stepped out of the teleport area. "No?" Rumplestiltskin asked when he received no reply. "Have you come to keep me company?" He then asked, and she shyly brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

By this time Rumplestiltskin wondered if she was even able to speak, and with a deep frown he settled for a much calmer "What's your name, dearie," when she suddenly bounced past him and launched herself upon his desk.

The glass vials and plates shattered to the floor and the contents of his flasks dripped all over his desk. Rumplestiltskin spread out his arms in agony and gnawed his teeth. "What's this?" he cried out impetuously, "why this?"

The girl sat up straight on the desk and smiled. "Oh, it is real?" She said, feeling her way around the shards on the desk.

The imp just glared at her, eyes narrowed, and clipped his lips tight.

"I'm Haley," Haley said, then leant on her right arm and yelped when a shard nicked the skin of her finger. She brought it up to her lips to suck but Rumplestiltskin snatched it in his own hands.

"Now, now, dearie, don't do that," He hastily said. He was aware that the potions might have odd effects and he did not want to poison his visitor, no matter how weird she was. He looked around in search of a piece of cloth and once he found one he wrapped it around her finger. His hands glowed with magic as he healed her skin. All the while his large eyes were locked with hers and his smirk was wide.

"Whatever possessed you to jump my desk like that, Haley?"

The girl stuck out her tongue, ever so slightly, and bounced her right leg up and down nervously. It was a quirk, she couldn't help, a tick she could not suppress. "I wondered if it was all real." She said as a reply, then smiled at him and looked as he released her finger. The wound had gone.

"Cool!"

Rumplestiltskin sniffed and wrinkled his nose. "You seem to possess a lot of energy." He remarked. "Most of my visitors have been rather shy."

"Well, I'm not like most." Haley giggled. "I'm active, yes, and when I saw you I thought I was dreaming because this all would be too good to be true and I had to try and see for myself whether you were real or not and the best way seemed to me to jump your table."

She smiled sweetly but Rumplestiltskin had been overwhelmed with her words, all said within the same breathe, and reached for his head.

"I see." He said.

"There was simply no other way." Haley confirmed.

"Wasn't there?" Rumplestiltskin was oddly amused.

"How come you know who I am, dearie?" He asked her, and Haley smiled at him.

"Anyone knows who you are, sir Rumplestiltskin." Her reply erupted a giggle from his throat.

"And how could they not know the famous mister Rumplestil-" Haley jumped off the desk and trotted to the wall to study the pictures there. "Hey? Where did you get these?"

Rumplestiltskin, surprised by how easily she was distracted, pushed himself from his chair and followed her to the wall.

"These? Oh, they're all little souvenirs I've been given." He traced a finger past the pictures. "This one's from my first guest. It's a dinosaur." He gave Haley a meaningful look. She beamed back at him.

"And this next shows me on a pie. And this one…" He halted, "We can skip this one." Embarrassed and a bright pink hue, Rumplestiltskin quickly hid several of the drawings he had received from another of his guests. He was wearing very little on them.

"My, my, would you look at this next-" He turned to face Haley but she had darted off again and stood staring at him from the other side of the room, a pensive look on her face, almost accusingly so.

"Why is there no drawing of Belle amongst them?" She suddenly asked, and the imp's shoulders slumped. "Excuse me?" He asked her, but Haley shook her head firmly and pointed a finger at him.

"She's missing from your wall!"

"Why should she be on my wall?" The man retorted with a cry.

"Why should she?" Haley echoed discriminated. "Why should she not? Have you never felt for her, Rumplestiltskin?"

It was at this point the effect of the transporter given to Rumplestiltskin by Rush had started to fade, and with it Haley slowly dissolved and disappeared from his dungeon. "Why not?" He called after her, panic-stricken. She had been right.

With a sigh and a soft mumble Rumplestiltskin slid back on his chair. His words where but a whisper.

"Because I've not had anyone to draw her for me yet."


	22. BleedingsunsetsOpenhorizons

******Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For bleedingsunsets-openhorizons**

* * *

The sun had gone hours ago and the clock ticked until midnight was reached. Rumplestiltskin licked the corner of his lips with his tongue as he focused on the potion in front of him.

"Another hair," he sung, "Another tear." He added the two ingredients into a vial and shook it slightly. A very excited giggle was suppressed and the golden man wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Nearly done." He sung.

As if by magic the teleport behind him started to whirr and out a girl stepped.

Rumplestiltskin instantly turned to face her and a small smile crept upon his face. His large grey eyes, swirling slightly to a more golden color, met her brown ones and he started to laugh loudly.

"My, my, another guest!" He clapped his claws and pointed at her. "And what is it I can do for you, dearie?"

Before she could even speak he gestured with his hands dramatically up at the ceiling of the basement, or rather dungeon, he was in and prevented her to reply. "Let me guess, you came for a deal."

When he next crossed eyes with her his jocular mannerisms had gone and he looked rather intent at her. His expression was one like a rock and his voice monotone and serious.

"I can see your every desire."

His voice was like silk and the girl blinked at him, slightly taken aback. "Mister, don't mind me to be rude but I tried getting here for weeks. What took you so long?"

Now it was Rumplestiltskin's turn to blink at her. "How do you mean?" He cried out.

"Well, I asked to meet you, I wished for it, and I made you a deal, but you wouldn't come for me."

"Ah."

"But that doesn't matter anymore. I'm here now," She added in a lower voice, "after you took your time" then spoke up again "and I am just glad to see you for real." Rumplestiltskin silently rejoiced. Apparently the girl wished to believe Rumplestiltskin had brought her here, while it had all been done automatically and randomly by the machine Rush had given to him. The cunning imp knew he could benefit if he went along with her idea.

"Ah, naturally," Rumplestiltskin pensively consented. "For real." If he hadn't received so many midnight guests who had informed him about something called 'TV' and if he hadn't met his very own actor he might have thought her to be crazy in her phrasing. But as it was he could understand what she meant with 'for real'.

"As real as can be, dearie." He said, patting his own leg and signaling for her to come over to him. "So, I kept my end of the deal. Now for the price you're to pay me…" He gestured at himself and smiled wickedly at the girl.

She stepped closer. Her really long, thick, wavy, brown hair flowed behind her as she approached, then halted a mere inch away from him. "Do you know my name, Rumplestiltskin?" She asked, and he frowned up at her.

"Of course I do," He bluffed, "I know everything about you." His eye twitched, he knew he wasn't going to keep up pretense for much longer.

She laughed. "Then say it."

He sweat dropped and carefully purred. "Chantelle?"

With her arms spread about she looked up at the ceiling and he tried to rectify his mistake by mentioning a dozen of other names, all wrong. "See, you don't know." She said accusingly. "If you had known about my wishes you'd have brought me here dressed up in your feudal princess dresses." She sat down on his desk and looked at her hands.

Feeling a pang of pain, caused by emotions he had thought to have abandoned long ago, Rumplestiltskin bit his lip and looked at her. "Then what is your name?"

"Natasha." Natasha replied. "Ah," the golden man smiled at her from his seat behind his desk. "Of course." When she looked at him her own smile slowly returned. His eyes twinkled, how could one stay mad?

"Well, Natasha ," Rumplestiltskin said, "I did not bring you here because you wished for it. Neither did we make any deal. Not yet." He glanced at the clock and sighed. "You were teleported in at random," afraid she would not like the cruel truth he quickly stuttered a few more words to soothe her, "but I-I really d-do like your company."

His cheeks were all red at the realization of how clumsy he must have sounded and he quickly meant to distract her. He snapped his fingers and grinned at her. "There." A high-pitched giggle escaped him.

Natasha frowned. "There?" She said, folding her arms in front of her.

"A true princess." Rumplestiltskin smiled at her, and only now did she glance down to see she was wearing a long lavish gown. "You seem to fit the part well, dearie." Her golden friend whispered to her. "It's almost as if you belong here."

Natasha smiled up at him as she started to fade. "Well," she said with a smile, "That's exactly how I feel." Then, she jumped off the desk with arms stretched and landed in Rumplestiltskin's lap. Her arms had circled around his neck and she hugged him.

The golden imp sat frozen, uncertain how to react to such a form of affection, and closed his eyes as he felt her fade from Fairy Tale Land. "After all, it seems you did know a lot about me." He could hear her whisper, and then she was gone.

Only when she had completely vanished did Rumplestiltskin notice he was holding air. Had he been returning the hug? It seemed so. With a sigh he set back to work, arms resting on his desk, and he growled to himself. "Another deal gone."

He had given her a dress but had not received anything in turn, not a prize he had asked for. With a small smile he recalled the hug. Perhaps he had received his payment after all.


	23. Skymcdonald

**Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For skymcdonald**

* * *

The sky outside betrayed no traces of moon as it was deep black. Once in a while stars stabbed into the Milky Way or streaked across the blackness with gleaming reddish or whitish tails trailing behind. But most of the time they were concealed behind looming clouds or swallowed by the potential of evil which as a black miasma covered the entire area in which Rumplestiltskin's castle was situated. Like a veil the blackness of the Dark One's powers had covered the sky, and so the golden imp sat brooding in his dungeon, angry at another failed attempt of his most desired curse.

It had all gone wrong a long time ago. He had miscalculated. And now that he thought to have finished the potion he found out that in fact he had not. True Love's ingredient was still missing. That which he had thought to add was a fake. It did not work, and in anger and despair he smashed his vials and glass bottles from the desk and to the floor. He swept his ruffled sleeves past the surface of the desk, besmirching his clothes and tearing the fabric at the remainders of the bottles of glass. With another high-pitched cry, hoarsely echoing into the night, he released his frustration and fell back into his chair.

It was at this point that a young girl placed a hand on his shoulder and the man jumped in agony and shock. He turned to look over his shoulder at her, eyes wide, and for a good few minutes just stared at his guest.

"Are you alright, Mister Rumplestiltskin?" The girl asked, and Rumplestiltskin frowned.

"Quite, thank you, dearie." His usual sly smirk surfaced and he pointed a clawed finger at her. "What is that you're wearing?" He knew he had to be careful to ask, but he could not keep his mouth shut about it. What she was wearing to him looked extremely complicated and… odd.

"Fashion." She piped happily. "Don't tell me you've never seen such clothes like this? I know it's rather bold and big, but that's how I like my outfits."

The golden man nodded slowly, thinking more and more that perhaps this distraction was a very good thing. He felt himself calm down.

"And your name, dearie?"

"Sky." The girl said, then winked at him. "My name is Sky."

Rumplestiltskin gaped at her. "That is funny." He said in a more hushed tone. "I was polluting the sky earlier on so no one would find my castle during the last stage of my-" He looked down at the smashed vials and bottles and bit his lip, then forced her a smile again. "No matter. So you're the Sky that came through my magical teleport thingy."

She laughed pleasantly. "You _are_ funny, sir." She told him with a grin. "But yet you don't seem very happy."

Rumplestiltskin clapped his hands to his cheeks. "Oh, I am happy, dearie."

It didn't sound convincing.

"Happy to not be alone?" Sky tried.

"Happy to be distracted."

"So what was this supposed to be?" Sky asked, hands on her hips as she studied the remains of what was supposed to become 'the curse'.

Rumplestiltskin hung his head as to shield his eyes from her. "Just a curse." He muttered, reluctant to tell her how he was planning to transcend to another world.

"Just a curse?" Sky repeated but with a ring of disbelief. "You don't mean the curse the Dark Queen will use?"

Rumplestiltskin's head shot up and his eyes pierced hers. Sky instantly clamped her hands over her mouth and looked apologetic at him. "I'm sorry." She said once she removed her hands from her lips. "I shouldn't have said that… spoilers…"

The imp leaned back in his chair. "It's alright." He waved his hand at her. "I think I've been spoiled already."

Sky grinned. "You destroyed your own curse?"

He raised an eyebrow at her but vouchsafed no reply.

"Why on earth would you need a savior then?" Sky rolled her eyes and let out a short giggle. Rumplestiltskin mimicked her expression. "Why indeed?" But her words got him thinking. He pursed his lips and looked away.

Sky giggled. "So? How about a deal?" She instantly had his attention and laughed. "I'd like to make a deal with you about music."

Rumplestiltskin's eyes lit up. "Music, truly?" He licked his lips and rested his chin on top of his folded hands. "I happen to love music, dearie."

"Then why do you never play any music down here?" She retorted and saw him frown in reply. She had a good point.

"An orchestra is rather expensive and impractical to hide." He gestured at his rather stuffed dungeon, and Sky laughed again. "I'm sure it is. Why not use your magic?"

The imp shook his head. "All magic comes with a price, dearie." Sky was starting to dissolve and she looked at her hands, then at him. "Well, it seems our deal will have to wait." She said, winking at him.

"Indeed it seems so." Rumplestiltskin confirmed, and he smiled. "You'll owe me a deal."

"You too." Sky said, and with that vanished from the scene.

Rumplestiltskin turned back to his desk and felt his energy renewed. Sky's visit had done him good and his anger had fully gone. With a bright smile he studied the bits and pieces in front of him.

He pursed his lips. "Why hadn't I thought of that?" He mused as he watched the shards in front of him. "A savior would be very handy indeed."

He now knew his curse needed some modification.


End file.
